


Qrow based ficlets

by isissa



Category: RWBY
Genre: Anthology, Ficlet, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Shot, Short, animal adoption, collection, qrow gets a cat, rwby vol 4 spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2018-12-21 00:09:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11932224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isissa/pseuds/isissa
Summary: A collection of short stories based on my headcanons for Qrow. general spoiler warning for the whole fic up to volume 4. will be updated whenever I write something new.





	1. monsters

Taiyang swung. Struck, swiped, and jumped away. His hands held up defensively in front, his back to his teammate.

Qrow ran at a Grimm in front of him, scythe out, slashing it in half with one go. Behind him, Taiyang took a running jump at a Grimm and tripped, falling short of a strike.

Qrow spun on his heel, his scythe swinging around with him, pulling his body with it. The Grimm Taiyang had tried to attack dove forward, using one of its long, ivory horns to pick Taiyang up. Qrow’s heart threatened to jump out of his throat as he leapt in the air after his teammate. He landed on the opposite tusk and quickly sheathed his scythe, jumping across to grab Taiyang’s hand and pull him away from the Grimm. The monster shrieked, attempting to run after Qrow, who fled with Taiyang in his arms. Qrow’s eyes flickered down as he darted between trees, trying to gain distance between the Grimm that he left behind in the dark of night.

When Qrow had moved far enough away that he felt safe enough to pause, he laid Taiyang down on the ground, checking over the main for injuries. Taiyang had passed out, most likely due to head trauma from the Grimm’s tusk. Qrow scrambled to grab his tan wrist, feeling for a pulse. He relaxed, feeling the blood still flowing through his teammates veins. Taiyang begun to stir, his eyes slowly opening. When they came into focus he looked squarely at Qrow, and something like anger burned in his eyes.

Qrow’s breath caught, he shuffled back to give Taiyang room, crouching down on the ground still. Taiyang sat up wordlessly and shook himself off.

“Tai, you should stay still, I don’t know if you’re hurt-”

The man shot him a look. A glare with more intensity than Qrow had seen in Taiyang’s eyes for a very long time. He swallowed thickly and shuffled back a little further, sitting down in the grass.

“…Tai?”

Silence. Taiyang spat, a small speck of blood flying from his mouth onto the grass and dirt below. “Are you doing it on purpose?” He asked softly, though his tone pierced through Qrow’s chest like an arrow.

Qrow blinked, shook his head, he thought this might happen. “N-no, Tai, gods, why would-”

“That’s what I’m asking.” Taiyang stood up, looking slightly uncertain on his feet, his eyes locked with Qrow’s. the raven-haired man wanted to sink into the grass and disappear.

Qrow was suddenly all too aware of the cold wind blowing over his skin, making him shiver. Taiyang stepped forward, advancing on him. Qrow sunk backwards. “I don’t…Tai…I don’t understand…”

Taiyang towered over him, frustration and anger burning behind his eyes, which seemed to glow against the night sky. Qrow felt himself rooted to the spot, unable to look away or move. Taiyang knelt down, placing his hands on Qrow’s shoulders and holding them a little too tightly. “Why then…Why did I have to be put on a team with _you_?”

Qrow opened his mouth, but couldn’t find words. Taiyang shook him violently in response, his voice getting louder.

“It’s always like this when you’re around! Are you trying to hurt us?! Why can’t anything go right when you’re here?!”

Qrow cringed, drawing his legs slightly closer to himself as Taiyang yelled in his face. Taiyang wouldn’t hit him, probably, but his words did more damage than his fists ever could. “Tai, I don’t mean to do it, I’m sorry,”

Taiyang cut him off, his voice softer. “I hate you. I hate that I keep doing this.” He let go of Qrow shoulders, standing back up and putting his head in his hands. “ _Fuck me,_ you can’t _look_ at me like that when I yell at you.”

Qrow glanced down at his legs, which were know drawn tightly to his chest. Qrow could handle conflict between monsters, but when Taiyang, Raven, or Summer yelled at him, he couldn’t handle it. He already hated himself, and team STRQ was one of the few things that could make him forget what that felt like. He didn’t want them to make hating himself any easier.

Taiyang let out a long, drawn out sigh, taking his hands away from his face. Without warning he turned around and slammed his fist into the tree behind him with incredible force, sparking his aura and making the tree shake. The hit made a sound like a whip cracking, making Qrow flinch.

Taiyang turned then, looking back at Qrow. “I’m sorry.” He said, quickly. “I lost my temper.”

“It’s fine,” Qrow lied. “I understand. You know I’d never get you hurt on purpose Tai.” Qrow made a point to make eye contact with Taiyang. “Never.” He repeated firmly.

Taiyang looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Or maybe Qrow was projecting. Either way the sunny haired man strode forward and held out a hand to Qrow, helping him up from the ground.

“I didn’t mean it.” _Lie._

“I know you didn’t.” _Lie._

 


	2. sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> qrow comes home with a fever, Ozpin nurses him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt from http://fanficy-prompts.tumblr.com/post/146086216485/character-a-gets-sick-and-character-b-insists-on

 

Hunters can get sick.

It’s a little known fact, but it’s true – hunters can suffer from the common cold, just like anyone else. Even the greatest hunters can get sick, even someone as infallible and mysterious as Ozpin can get sick.

Ozpin wasn’t sick though – not in this case anyway – Qrow was.

Qrow, the bird one, had flown into Beacon academy the night before, fluttered into Ozpin’s lap and fell asleep (as a bird). When he awoke he was in Ozpin’s bed, but Ozpin was nowhere to be seen. He felt incredibly cold and pulled all the sheets over him and called out for his lover/boyfriend/best friend with benefits.

Ozpin appeared in the doorframe a few moments later, holding a tray with a jug and two cups of coffee on it. He looked relieved when he saw Qrow and walked over to the cabinet at the end of the bed to put the tray down. Then he walked around and put his hand on Qrow’s forehead. It felt incredibly cool and Qrow nuzzled him.

“How are you feeling?” Ozpin’s voice was warm, and Qrow let himself linger a moment longer on Ozpin’s hand before he thought of an answer.

“M’alright…” He mumbled with a sort of shaky non-comital hand gesture to punctuate it. Despite that, he shivered and pulled the blankets around him tighter.

Ozpin frowned, eyes dancing over the formal shirt Qrow normally wore, still buttoned tight around the collar. “You should take your shirt off.” He suggested. Qrow raised his eyebrows. “You have a fever, I can lend you clothes, so take your shirt off.”

Qrow shuffled back off the blankets and went to work unbuttoning his shirt, then throwing it to Ozpin who caught it easily. The professors’ eyes casually combed over Qrow’s bare chest for a few seconds before he walked towards the built-in wardrobe at the far side of the room, pulling out a light tank top that Qrow had never seen Ozpin actually wear. He caught the shirt after Ozpin threw it over and pulled it on, mumbling out a thanks.

Ozpin sat on the end of the bed and poured himself a cup of coffee. He offered one to Qrow, who declined. He took a sip and the two sat in silence for a little while. After the pause, Qrow pushed away the bed sheets and stood up, walking over to the door. Ozpin leaped up after him.

“I can get you anything you need, Qrow. Why don’t you rest?”

Qrow rolled his eyes. “I’m fine Oz,” He walked out into Ozpin’s kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, Ozpin following all the while. He drank the entire glass and went to pour a second, pausing before he turned on the water. His free hand went to his forehead and held himself. Ozpin noticed and put down his coffee gently.

“Are you alright?”

There was a pause as Qrow hesitated, but he ultimately nodded and went back to pouring out water. He drank another entire glass and then carried one over to Ozpin’s kitchen counter, sitting down on one of the tall stools and leaning his arms on the table. Ozpin preferred to stand, back against the fridge, watching him closely.

Qrow let out a breath that Ozpin realised was shaky, stepping across the distance between them to place a hand on his shoulder. The man was trembling with chills.

“Your hand’s cold.”

“You’re really hot.” Ozpin took Qrow’s hand in his own and pulled him up from the chair. “You’re going back to bed.”

Qrow had a sour look on his face but didn’t resist as Ozpin lead him back to his room, picking up his coffee on the way. Back inside the room, Qrow shook off Ozpin and got back into his bed, rubbing his forehead with his right hand. Ozpin made to walk over to him but tripped, spilling coffee over the carpet. He swore under his breath and dug through the cupboard for carpet cleaner.

Qrow sat with his back against the large, wooden headboard of the bed and frowned, wanting to help Ozpin clean. “Sorry. That was probably me.”

“It’s no problem.” And Ozpin sounded sincere, which made Qrow feel a little bit shittier about it somehow.

Ozpin walked out of the room, effectively disappearing for a while, leaving Qrow to shiver and stew in his own thoughts. Ozpin returned with something in his hand. He climbed onto the bed and sat next to Qrow, opening his hand to reveal some medicine in his hand. “You should take this, love.”

Qrow swooned at the nickname and gratefully took the pills from him, swallowing them dry, coughing, and emptying out his glass of water immediately after.

After that, the hunter shuffled forward and got into bed properly, laying down on his side to gaze at Ozpin, although from the angle he was at all he could see where Ozpin’s legs. The professor gently pet at his boyfriend’s hair, staying with him until he fell asleep.

 

 


	3. amber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> qrow finds a cat

 

It was approximately 4pm on Sunday afternoon when Qrow kicked open the door to Ozpin’s apartment, drenched in rain, carrying a small ball of fluff in his arms. Ozpin’s eyes lifted from his book to his boyfriend, standing up immediately to find a towel for him, mentally skipping over the image of what was in his arms.

Upon his return Qrow took the towel off Ozpin gratefully, wrapping it around the fluff cradled in his arms. Ozpin then realised Qrow was holding something and asked what it was.

“It’s a kitten.” Qrow mumbled, swaddling the cat and cooing at it. Ozpin took a moment to let that sink in, nodding slowly. “We gotta take care of this kitten, Oz.”

The professor shrunk back slightly. “Qrow, this is very sudden,”

Qrow looked up at his boyfriend with pleading eyes, pushing his messy hair out of his face with one hand, the other cuddling the cat up to his chest. “Her name is Amber. I love her.”

The cat meowed softly into Qrow’s chest and the hunter beamed, patting the kitten’s damp fur. Ozpin sighed and moved forward to stroke its head. “We can take her to a shelter, we’re both too busy to care for a cat.”

Qrow bristled. “Cats are very independent. You just need to put out food for her. You can take care of yourself, right Amber?”

Ozpin wondered why Qrow had decided to call the cat Amber, because she had pitch black fur and distinctive white markings. He sighed, admitting defeat. “She can stay in the apartment, but you have to play with her whenever you’re in Beacon.”

Qrow’s eyes lit up, his wet hair still streaming droplets of rain down his face. He shuffled over to Ozpin and hugged him with his free arm, pressing kisses to the top of Ozpin’s head. Then he wandered off to the bathroom with Amber still in his arms.

 


	4. Birthday Presents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU//not canon compliant, starts when ruby is 3 and yang is 5. kind of angsty but its positive i promise

It was a late Saturday evening when Taiyang found himself sitting on the porch, staring at an absent minded crow perched on the kitchen windowsill. His eyes narrowed, and his breathing hitched, as the little bird hopped inside the window for a few moments, disappearing from sight. Taiyang wanted to stand and pursue the bird, but didn’t dare, waiting until the crow appeared back on the window sill, it’s beak curiously empty of a small box it held before. The crow gave Taiyang a startled look, as if only just noticing he was there, and flew off into the afternoon sunlight.

A few weeks later, Taiyang noticed the bird again. It had a particular air to it and a glint in its eye, sitting in a tree just above the house. Taiyang leaned out of the upstairs window and locked eyes with the creature, examining it’s plumage and face. The bird stared back, then turned, and fluttered off.

One afternoon, not a week after the second sighting, Ruby had come inside, her face bright and joyful, her hands wrapped around a small object Taiyang couldn’t discern. He greeted his daughter with a kind smile and asked her what she was up to. “I’m feeding a bird!” She squeaked. “it gave me this!”

Ruby held up a small, silver ring, with a precious stone on top. Taiyang’s heart fluttered for a moment and he swallowed thickly, pressing a smile onto his features and gripping the table with one hand. Little three year old Ruby didn’t notice Taiyang’s anxiety and strolled further into the house, waving goodbye to her father as she went.

 

A few days later, Yang had revealed to her father that she knew about the bird, too. Taiyang grinned somewhat forcefully and jokingly asked if the bird had ever said anything to them. Yang looked confused and told him that, _no, it was a bird dad, it can’t talk_. Taiyang laughed this off and assured Yang it was merely a joke, but a creeping feeling clouded his chest.

The next day, Taiyang finished all of his housework early and sat on the porch. He waited for a very long time, almost forgetting to breathe, until the bird showed up. First, it was in a tree a way’s away from the house. Then, it creeped closer, and eventually sat on the porch next to Taiyang, looking up at him. Taiyang held prolonged eye contact with the bird, completely silent, for what felt like days, before biting his lip and mumbling, “hello?”

The bird looked away for a moment, and Taiyang felt stupid, like he’d just spoken to a wild animal. However in the next few moments it looked back to Taiyang and dipped it’s head, stretching out a wing. It was a very human-like movement, and Taiyang lost all the air in his lungs. “Qrow?” He managed to rasp out.

The bird, Qrow, nodded again, and looked down at the ground.

Taiyang felt his arms grow numb and heavy, he grasped for something to say. “Are you…can you…turn back?”

Qrow looked up at Taiyang, then turned around. The human jumped to his feet and took a few steps towards the avian, expecting him to run away. “Don’t go!”

Qrow turned around, clicked his tongue, and then hopped a few feet away from the house. He turned to Taiyang, waiting for him to follow. Taiyang moved, feeling his feet lead him away before he had time to consider what he was doing. He followed Qrow until they reached the thick trees that surrounded the humble patch homestead, and Qrow took a moment to hide behind a tree and transform. He walked out from behind the tree a human, his hair dishevelled but otherwise looking exactly as Taiyang remembered.

Taiyang’s head spun. “I don’t…Why…Qrow?”

Qrow’s head sunk down, eyes cast to the ground in what looked like guilt, or shame. “Hey.”

The gruff voice sent a shiver down Taiyang’s spine. He walked forward, not hesitating as Qrow flinched at his advance, taking the man’s hands in his own. “Where were you? You look…the same. Where did you go?!”

Qrow smiled bittersweetly, holding Taiyang’s hands firmly as he could manage. “I’ve been keeping myself busy, and away from things. Taking care of you guys…just a little bit.”

Taiyang’s mind drifted to the gifts the girls had received, and he felt tears prickle in his eyes. “I thought you were gone forever. Why didn’t you tell me where you were?”

Qrow paused, sliding his hands away from Taiyang’s and taking a few steps back. His shoulders slumped forward subtly. “I knew you’d try and convince me to come and live with you, but I couldn’t do that to you, or the kids.”

“Do what? I don’t understand,”

Qrow slumped backwards, leaning onto a tree behind him and shaking his head slowly. “You know what I mean, Tai. I’m not good news. With two toddlers running around, what do you think I’d do to them?”

“Nothing!” Taiyang insisted.

Qrow threw his head up for the first time in the conversation, laughing with a tinge of hatred in his tone. “Yeah, alright. We both know you don’t really believe that.”

“What?”

“Tai,” Qrow looked at his friend, his eyes narrowing and brows drawing downwards, his words slick with resentment. “you said it yourself. I’m a nuisance. An inconvenience.”

Taiyang’s body language became very tight, his arms hugging himself. “I didn’t mean that – I was frustrated, you know that’s not what I meant-”

“It wasn’t one time. I heard you more than that, I heard you-” Qrow cut himself off, leaned back against the tree and looked up at the sky, taking a deep breath. “You know what, it doesn’t matter actually. My mind is made up.”

“Are you coming back?”

“No.”

“What are you going to do?”

Qrow spread his arms out. “I’ll be around, but I can’t get too close. I made rules for this, about myself. I sleep like _that_ , so I never have to pay for a place to stay. I eat what I can find, and I’ll keep checking on Ruby and Yang.”

“Why bother telling me this?” Xiao-long asked, knitting his hands together.

Qrow sighed. “I didn’t count on you staking out the house…and…” his face softened a bit. “you deserved to know I was okay, so…”

Taiyang stepped forward, reaching out for Qrow’s shoulders, but Qrow saw him coming and stepped away from him. “Come live with me? Please Qrow?”

Qrow chuckled. “I told ya’. I’ll be seeing you.”

Taiyang’s heart went cold. “Qrow, wait – please don’t-” he stammered, reaching out for the other man’s jacket, his arm, anything. Qrow was ready for it though, and transformed into his crow form before Taiyang could reach him. Above his teammates head, Qrow hovered, flapping his wings lazily. Taiyang’s heart pounded in his chest. “Please don’t leave again, I don’t want this, I don’t have anyone left, please!”

Qrow shook his head, then flew off, whooshing past the trees and making the leaves rustle. All of the strength left Taiyang’s body and he fell to the ground, staring blankly at the grass and dirt underneath him, like his soul had left his body. He stayed like that for almost an hour.

-

On Ruby’s fourth birthday, the helpful old crow brought her a card for the arcade in the city that had 2000 credits on it. For Yang’s sixth, she received a pair of boxing gloves, signed by one of the top hand-to-hand fighters in all of the region.

On Ruby’s fifth birthday, the old crow brought her the limited edition plushie she’d been begging Taiyang to get for her. Yang’s seventh birthday saw her receive a new pair of running shoes.

Their birthdays continued along this pattern each year, in the morning Qrow would appear at some point before midday and drop off the girl’s presents, sit with Taiyang for as long as Taiyang would resist the urge to ask Qrow to stay, and then he’d leave, until next year.

When Yang went to Beacon, Qrow would visit Taiyang anyway, and sit with him until Taiyang asked him to talk back. At this point, Qrow would always leave. When Ruby entered Beacon two years later, Qrow would visit once every few weeks instead.

One afternoon, Qrow visited not in his feathery form, but dressed in a smart shirt and jeans, sitting on the porch waiting for Taiyang to walk outside. Taiyang gasped, but held his tongue, and sat down next to Qrow on the remaining seat. Qrow didn’t make eye contact with Taiyang, but simply sat in silence, staring into the vast nothingness of thick tree line that surrounded the house. When it began to get dark, Taiyang went to get drinks from inside, and Qrow followed him, wordlessly, into the kitchen, and sat down inside.

Taiyang made them both tea, then sat opposite Qrow and sipped at his drink. Qrow downed the cup in a few sips, staring across the table, just below Taiyang’s eyes. 

After a few long moments, Taiyang spoke very softly, clenching his jaw as he did so. “Just for tonight…would you like to sleep on the couch?”

The other man pressed his lips together, then nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

Taiyang remembered how to breathe for the first time in years.

 

**Author's Note:**

> the "lie" thing is something the amazing ani pendragon does in their fics and damn I love it so much. credit to them for the amazing use of implied inner dialogue in their fics.


End file.
